Building frame construction



y 1938- H. H. PAYZANT 2,117,070

BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. '7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l R1 \wy/ y 1938. H. H. PAYZANT BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1935 fl 0 wi llx l T x l Tlli J I. n 1 J Patented May 10, 1938 PATENT OFFICE BUILDING FRAME CONSTRUCTION Henry H. Payzant, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to General Timber Service, Inc., St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Application January '7, 1935, Serial No. 611

2 Claims.

, This invention relates to framing construction for homes and other buildings, and particularly to a wood frame having its principal dimensions in plan equal to integral multiples of a predetermined dimensional unit. This unit is the center to center distance between the vertical framing members or studding and is preferably equal to the center to center spacing of the floor joists and rafters. Where the building frame is so constructed from members of known dimensions, the frame covering members, such as the sheathing, siding, ceiling, flooring and roofing are factory cut to dimensions which are so related to the framing that large economies result both in the cost of material and cost of constructing the building in situ.

It is my object to supply the demand for lower cost homes and other buildings of high quality by providing such a frame structure composed of novel members, most of which are formed and cut to final dimensions at the factory with machine accuracy and efficiency.

Another object is to secure the economies obtainable by a maximum of factory operations in wood frame construction without substantial interference with variations in architectural treatment and design of the buildings and at the same time to avoid the expense of distribution and difficulties attendant upon more extensive fabrication of the framing at the factory.

A particular object is to secure the economies above pointed out by the use of novel plate and cap construction adapted to meet the various conditions found in practice and to secure uniformity and accuracy in the spacing of the studding members and corner posts of a building.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a building frame illustrating an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of my novel sole plates and corner starters arranged for the portion of the building shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating in detail my preferred construction of the corner and partition starters, and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are side elevations of typical arrangements of the sole and cap plates and associated corner starters, shown projected opposite the corresponding parts of Fig. 2.

My improved building frame has its principal dimensions in plan equal to integral multiples of a standard dimensional unit, such as the unit indicated by the letter A in Fig. 2, comprising the center to center distance between the studding members 9 (Fig. 1) of the building. This unit is preferably equal to sixteen inches, al- 5 though a shorter or longer unit may be employed where considered preferable. I provide the principal sole plate members In for the frame with shallow recesses It or rabbets adapted to receive and locate the lower ends of the studding 9. The several sole plate members ID are furnished in lengths which differ from each other by integral multiples of the dimensional unit A. Each sole plate is completed by placing at the ends of a suitable member H] a pair of corner starters each 1 adapted to space the first stud or pair of studs the proper distance from one of the corner posts of the building. The outside corner posts are indicated by the numeral [2 and the inside corner posts by the numeral 11.

By providing the four different corner starters illustrated in Fig. 3, the desired spacing of the corner posts from the studding in all the situations found in practice may be secured with a minimum of special cutting or formation of the framing members in situ. The several corner and partition starters are indicated by the numerals l3, l4, l5 and 56. It will be understood that the studding and corner posts and sole and cap plates are of known dimensions, being preferably constructed from framing such as are commonly called 2 by 4s but are, according to present practice, actually 1 inches by 3% inches in cross section. In the embodiment illustrated, the corner posts I2 are formed from two such members spaced so that each post has outside dimensions in cross section of 4% inches by 3 inches. The corner starter I3 is out to length B and has recesses to afford seats for a pair of the studding members adjacent to one side of the corner post I2. The starter M has a length C and recesses to afford a seat for the corner post [2 and also for the first studding member adjacent to the post. To meet the special conditions present at what may be termed the inside corner posts, such 45 as the post I1, I provide corner starters l5 and I 6 which are similar to the starters I3 and I4, respectively, except that the members and I6 are furnished in the greater lengths D and E. Each of the corner starters, as well as sole plate members [0 is formed with the rabbets or recesses of depth F, preferably equal to about one-quarter of an inch. The several recesses for the studding have width G and the recesses for the inside and outside corner posts of the members l4 and I6 have a dimension in width indicated by the letter H. The distance between recesses along the several corner starters is indicated by the letters I, J, K and L, respectively. As indicated in Fig. 4, the uniform distance between the recesses H in the sole plates, is indicated by the letter M so that the unit dimension A is equal to M plus G, the latter beng the width of the studding members along the sole plates.

For interior partitions, the sole plate member lfla, like the sole plate members I, and partition starters i 3a, identical with the corner starters I3, are employed so as to properly and uniformly space the studding for partitions relative to the outer framing structure.

In Fig. 1 the invention is illustrated as applied to construction of the platform type, as distinguished from the balloon type. The foundation is indicated by the numeral l8 and superimposed thereon is the floor joist structure, including the headers i9 and joists 2|] upon which the subfiooring is laid. The joists are preferably spaced, center to center, distances equal to the standard dimensional unit and the flooring is factory cut to economical lengths for such spacing. The sole plate members It are secured upon the subflooring and are completed by the use of the corner starters l3, l4, i5 and i6.

Any desired building plan, modified only to the extent of adjusting overall dimensionsto the nearest multiple of the unit A, may be laid out by the use of the plate members It and Illa and starters l3, l4, l5 and i6 and this with a minimum of cutting in situ. The corner posts and studding are factory cut to a uniform or standard length to produce the desired ceiling height. Such studding and corner posts are now erected in the recesses in the sole plates and corner starters and then the cap plate members 2|, each similar to the sole plate member ID at the lower ends of the studding in the same wall, are applied together with duplicates of the corner starters at the lower ends of the studding and posts, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the door and window openings in the framing are constructed in the usual manner as work progresses and the tie plates 22 of the usual or suitable construction are applied to the top surfaces of the cap plates. By similar construction, the

framing for another floor or floors may be added or, for the bungalow type of house, the roof framing may be superimposed on the tie plates 22.

The framing of the building having been constructed with the studding and. corner posts as herein described, I find that a large part of the sheathing, siding, flooring and other covering members for the frame may be factory cut to such lengths as to center the ends of such covering members on the frame members. This secures important economies in the use of lumber and in reducing the building costs.

In the embodiment illustrated the overall dimensions of the framing in plan are outside dimensions, but it will be understood that by mere modification of the lengths of the corner and partition starters or dimensions I, J, K and L a frame structure may be produced having inside dimensions or other principal dimensions, such as the center to center distances between corner posts, equal to integral multiples of the dimensional unit A.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination in a building having horizontally spaced 'studding and corner posts, of rabbeted sole plates formed with the rabbets spaced apart, center to center, a uniform, standard distance to determine the spacing of said studding and separate inside and outside corner starters differing from each other in length, disposed at the ends of said plates and formed with rabbets to determine the spacing of the inside and outside corner posts respectively from the studding.

2. The combination in a building having horizontally spaced, vertical frame members, of rabbeted sole plates formed with the rabbets spaced apart, center to center, a uniform, standard distance and rabbeted inside and outside corner starters disposed in continuation of said plates to produce a basic frame structure having principal dimensions in plan equal to integral multiples of said standard unit distance, said inside and outside corner starters differing from each other in form and being severally adapted to determine the spacing of two vertical frame members near a corner of the frame.

HENRY H. PAYZANT. 

